Microsoft Apologises For Sexist Xbox One Promo

It was never intended to offend but an Xbox One promo from Microsoft was met with a fair amount of outcry for its sexist content and tone. It was intended as a letter to your significant other convincing them on why you should invest in an Xbox One.

The letter encourages users to edit certain phrases within it to their liking. However, the default settings for one phrase read, “Not sure if you’ve heard, but Xbox One is now available. That means we can start playing games like Dead Rising 3. I know, I know. You’d rather knit than watch me slay zombies, but hear me out on this. Xbox One is actually for both of us. Seriously.”

Really? That didn’t strike you as something that might cause a problem, Microsoft? Nevermind the fact that female gamers are not as miniscule a demographic as some believe.

Commenters took to Twitter to voice their concerns with some notable figures in the gaming industry weighing in such as Thomas Was Alone developer Mike Bithell and The Drowning developer Ben Cousins.

Microsoft has responded with a statement of apology. “The letter is customizable and we meant no offense, but understand how the defaults could be perceived,” a spokesperson told CVG.

“We’re making changes to the letter defaults and apologize for the oversight,” they added.

The promo now reads, “I know. You’d rather do your taxes early than watch me slay zombies.” Knitting is not among the selectable options.

It’s upsetting that Microsoft’s marketing department or whoever came up with this promo did not even consider that having knitting as the default option rather than something neutral would be regarded as sexist, which it is.